Mystery Monday: Williams Advanced Engineering MD – From James Bond Stunt Cars To Supermarket Fridges, F1 Tech‑Transfer Is Incredibly Diverse

I’ve been the Managing Director for three years, where we’ve been applying the knowledge and technology bred in F1 – lightweight structures, hybrid and EV tech, aerodynamics, vehicle dynamics, prototyping – to a host of sectors. It’s a vital part of the diversification of the Williams Group and fits perfectly with the company ethos. As founder Sir Frank Williams says: “We’re a world-class engineering company that happens to go racing.”

Exciting projects seem to follow me around, and in the past I’ve overseen three Bathurst wins in Australian V8 Supercars, directed the Aston Martin DB7 project and the mad Renaultsport Clio V6 with TWR Group. Despite all that, the work we’re doing now at Williams Advanced Engineering is some of the most exciting I’ve ever been involved in.

Perhaps most famously, we worked with Jaguar to create the C-X75 hybrid supercar prototypes – a project that went from drawing board to physical reality in just 18 months – and later helped engineer the C-X75 stunt cars used in the latest James Bond film SPECTRE. We’ve also worked with Nissan on a Nurburgring lap record-breaking GT-R NISMO, helping to design a special set of aerodynamic wings and supporting NISMO engineers on the car’s handling.  We’ve also recently created a new fully electric demonstrator vehicle for Aston Martin.

If you’ve been to a Formula E race, you’ll have seen our specially created batteries powering some of the world’s best drivers around street circuits across the globe. I’m really proud of these batteries – they’re very powerful, with enough to charge an iPhone every day for 13 years, but have proved very reliable at the same time. We’ve been the sole battery supplier since the series began, and we’re improving the technology every season.

At a slightly slower pace, we’ve started applying our aerodynamic knowledge to supermarket fridges –yes you heard that right! By creating devices that clip onto the shelves of supermarket fridges that mimic the front wing of an F1 car, we’re able to help keep cold air in the chiller and significantly cut CO2 emissions in the process. That technology can also eliminate the dreaded ‘cold-aisle syndrome’ too, keeping people from shivering when shopping.

With a list like that – and there are many more projects ongoing, over 30 in fact – it’s hard to believe that we’ve only officially been up and running for five years. But Williams has done this kind of work before. The team had a hand in the Metro 6R4 rally car, not to mention the hugely successful Williams Renault BTCC and BMW Le Mans teams of the ‘90s. 

Our F1 mind-set means we’re able to work quickly in a way that a much larger company may not be able to. I think that’s a big key to our success. Plus we keep very close relations with our F1 colleagues. Our facility is right next door to the F1 team, and of our 180 odd staff, many will be ex-F1 engineers or engineers who alternate between Advanced Engineering and F1.

As a result, we’re working with some of the biggest companies in the world to deliver class-leading engineering solutions, many of which have a clean tech angle – something Britain can be rightly proud of.